“Andraka cultured MIA PaCa cells, from a commercial pancreatic carcinoma cell line, which overexpress mesothelin, a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. The mesothelin was isolated, concentrated and quantified with ELISA.[6] After optimization with the Western Blot assay, the human mesothelin-specific antibodies were mixed with single walled carbon nanotubes and used to coat strips of ordinary filter paper. This made the paper conductive. The optimal layering was determined using a scanning electron microscope. Cell media spiked with varying amounts of mesothelin was then tested against to the paper biosensor and any change in the electrical potential of the sensor strip (due to the changing conductivity of the nanotubes) was measured, before and after each application. ”
用"nanotube detect protein "一搜，第一篇就是“Carbon Nanotubes Form Ultrasensitive Biosensor to Detect Proteins”。这是一篇2010年《Science Daily》（科学日报）的新闻，里面写道：【A cluster of carbon nanotubes coated with a thin layer of protein-recognizing polymer form a biosensor capable of using electrochemical signals to detect minute amounts of proteins, which could provide a crucial new diagnostic tool for the detection of a range of illnesses, a team of Boston College researchers report in the journal Nature Nanotechnology..】大意说，科学家门通过测量纳米碳管的电性质可以检测某种蛋白质的存在，作为疾病诊断的手段。这篇报道里被采访的研究教授名叫 Dong Cai，中国华中科学技术大学的博士。继续搜索，可以找到之后更多的相关报道，比如2012年这篇《NANOTUBE TECHNOLOGY LEADING TO FAST, LOWER-COST MEDICAL DIAGNOSTICS》写道：【The nanotubes change their electrical resistance when a protein lands on them, and the extent of this change can be measured to determine the presence of a particular protein – such as serum and ductal protein biomarkers that may be indicators of breast cancer.】 简单的说，是通过纳米碳管的电阻来检测各种蛋白质，包括乳腺癌的生物标志。这篇文章更提到，测试费用可以降低到一美金。
